PeacefulChaos Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 So I think I like dystopian stuff. I've not read much, but the whole idea intrigues me. I don't care if it's YA (I'll devour it lol) or whatever... just looking for some fun stuff to read. Also, I need to get into reading the classics. I didn't read them in high school like some did, and I would like to read them, but... I started reading from the list in TWEM and started with Quixote... I was bored nearly to tears. I now have that one on audiobook but still have no idea when I'll ever listen to it. So what's an good book to 'ease' into the classics?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I just read an interesting dystopian novel called Birthmarked by Caragh Obrien. First book in three part series. Also check out The Giver by lois lowry, Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1984 by George Orwell Classics - Emma by Jane Austen, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 100 Years of Solitude. Dystopian as well as the best of the South American surrealists (IMO) all in one. I love Ursula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Anything by Philip K Dick The Sheep Look Up by John Bruner (insanely depressing) The Time Machine by Orson Wells These are NOT young adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseOwlKnits Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Birthmarked Divergent Maze Runner I am Number Four Matched Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 More dystopian... Divergent (and sequels) - fairly new YA, but not bad Fahrenheit 451 - classic 1984 - classic A Clockwork Orange - classic; then watch the movie, it still gives me the creeps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 well, a guy I knew a long time ago published a dystopian book which i wanted to read except I HATE dystopian books. its a buck on kindle. http://www.amazon.com/The-Epiphanist-ebook/dp/B0082MWDM6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8&colid=1H6QQDR5X00ZC&coliid=I1AUNZ7HRTDPKF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I recently read The Handmaid's Tale, and I really enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 dystopian juvenile fiction: The Gammage Cup Also: Animal Farm and Ender's Game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Just hit the YA section of your library. Dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic YA fiction is so popular right now that the real trick is finding a YA book that ISN'T dystopic. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank On The Beach by Shute I Am Legend by Matheson A more recent YA trilogy is called Matched by Ally Condie. It reminded me a bit of Big Brother. If you haven't already read it, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 fahrenheit 451 a canticle for Liebowitz the giver parable of the sower cloud atlas world war z the stand alas, babylon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood Oryx and Crake (Madaddam 1), Margaret Atwood The Year of the Flood (Madaddam 2), Margaret Atwood * Madaddam 3 is supposed to be published this year* Life As We Knew It (The Last Survivors 1), Susan Pfeffer The Dead and the Gone (The Last Survivors 2), Susan Pfeffer This World We Live In (The Last Survivors 3), Susan Pfeffer The Hunger Games Trilogy Agenda 21, Harriet Parke * Yes, I know the book says it is by Glen Beck but it is written by Harriet Parke. Beck writes an afterword that is easily ignored if you choose to do so. To be honest Atwood's Handmaid's Tale is a better read with beautiful depth while Agenda 21 is very shallow. That being said there is a nice story line and it is an easy read. In the beginning I felt some political opinions were too in your face and added to push an agenda not further the story but as I kept reading it either got better or I found it easier to overlook because I was engrossed in the characters and their story. * I think these are considered classics and dystopian lit: 1984, George Orwell A Brave New World, Aldous Huxley Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I just read an interesting dystopian novel called Birthmarked by Caragh Obrien. First book in three part series. I :001_wub: Birthmarked but *HATED* the second book in the series because it's basically the author's rant against chastity and in favor of abortion-on-demand. :thumbdown: Didn't bother with the third book after that. The Maze Runner series was good, and I also really liked The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and the first two books in the Enclave series by Ann Aguirre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenangelcat Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Divergent, Delirium, Uglies are all good YA. Enclave was okay but not as good as the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkd Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I agree with Oryx and Crake as well as the Handmaid's Tale. Brave New World is a good classic. For YA there's Into the Forest. Other not YA include Parable of the Sower Parable of the Talents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Legend by Marie Lu is really good and the second book called Prodigy is due out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I really like Divergent and Insurgent. Pure (Julianna Baggott) has a dystopian feel but is probably more like post-apocalyptic horror. Definitely read 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and Brave New World if you haven't already, as those are also classics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Wool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I'm in the middle of The Maze Runner and agree with others' recommendations on it. It grabs you from the first line. I've enjoyed the first few books from Uglies series; haven't finished them all yet though. The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer is good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroljenn Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Believe it or not, the Hunger Games trilogy is pretty good. And easy to read, which is always a plus when you are reading for fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Dystopian (not YA) - I'm 2/3 through the Enemies series by Matthew Bracken Classics - start with Mark Twain, he's rarely boring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocolate Rose Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I just finished Divergent and Insurgent and am looking forward to the 3rd book in the series. Dd is recommending: Harmony Battle Royale Parable of the Sower or anything else by Octavia Butler Shades Children I don't know if The Passage would be considered dystopian or not, but it's a great book. I'm getting near the end and don't want it to end. It's the kind of book that just sucked me in and keeps me going exactly like Stephen King novels do. I'd like to stay up all night reading it, but know I can't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 The giver is a four part series. The first one is good but the third and fourth get a bit weird for my taste. The Giver and Gathering Blue are parallel books that don't seem to connect when you are reading them. Messenger is the sequel to both. Son connects the previous three. The Giver is a good stand alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Some Stephen King stuff: The Stand The Long Walk The Running Man 11/22/1963 .... trust me on this one! It's got dystopian elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Ready Player One is a newer one. ;) Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury, Phillip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut and Robert Henlein are my favorite dystopian authors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Just hit the YA section of your library. Dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic YA fiction is so popular right now that the real trick is finding a YA book that ISN'T dystopic. :p Unless it's vampires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Looking at these lists, I guess I like dystopian literature. I never thougjt about it since I read most of these years apart. I have a Non-suggestion---- Robocolypse. I thought it was stupid and thw logic was missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Did anyone mention A Clockwork Orange? And from the vampire dystopian genre: the Passage by Justin Cronin. This is pretty light reading, but long. It almost seemed like it was written with the blockbuster movie rights in mind, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Ready Player One is a newer one. ;) Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury, Phillip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut and Robert Henlein are my favorite dystopian authors. Oh yes Vonnegut, how could I forget?! :) I recommend Cat's Cradle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Fahrenheit 451 - Bradbury sets the standard for this type of book. This was written in 1953, and he almost seems prescient when he's talking about the technology they use and how it separates people. a Canticle for Liebowitz -- this is a great book to follow Farhenheit - The Giver - this one is YA, but a wonderfully written story. Cloud Atlas - A strange and interesting book. Don't let anyone tell you what it's about because their view will color the book for you. World War Z (the only zombie book I have ever recommended) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 My favorite one that I read last year was, The Wind up Girl,by Paolo Bacigalupi. It's a bit rough at times, but I loved it. It was a treasure I found at the used book store. One of my top for all of last year. He has book coming out this year and I will have it on my Kindle the day of release. It's an enviromental dystopia, and it's so well written as well as hard to put down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Never Let Me Go is the only thing I thought of that I haven't seen mentioned. I've read a lot of the YA dystopian stuff. A lot of it is really, really bad. Wither, for example, ugh. Very, very bad. And Matched? The first book was so-so, but the second was completely nonsensical. I would say that Hunger Games, The Giver, and the Uglies books are all very good. I haven't read anything else worth recommending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akmommy Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Post- human (the entire trilogy) Also I second the Wool series. These ar two recent dystopian series I've enjoyed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 A few more I thought about last night- The Disposessed by Ursula LeGuin, and the Shadow Children series by Margaret Haddix. I have seen LeGuin books on the YA shelves, but that isn't where I would put them. They are very good dystopian scifi though. The Disposessed is one of my favorites. Margaret Haddix' work is all YA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 A few I haven't seen listed. Ship Breaker (I haven't yet read the sequel) the Uglies series Feed by M.T. Anderson Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 A fun middle-grade book in this genre is The City of Ember. I didn't like any of the sequels, though, and the movie was terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 A fun middle-grade book in this genre is The City of Ember. I didn't like any of the sequels, though, and the movie was terrible. The second was a tremendous disappointment (we didn't bother with any after that). DD the Elder was so mad she asked that it be removed from the house immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthyfamily Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 The Selection by Kiera Cass is really good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Wool Dd was rolling her eyes last night when I discovered that Third Shift - Pact was published last week and, heaven forbid, I didn't know it. I love this series. I don't even like dystopian lit, and I love this series. I just started reading it because the Omnibus Edition was free on the Kindle last year -- now I'm totally hooked, stalking Hugh Howey's website, planning to purchase the hardback when it comes out, fantasizing about a movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Wool I was going to say this one as well. I loved it. It was also a fairly clean book. I would be comfortable letting my teen read this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 William Gibson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Yay! So many suggestions - I'm excited. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 A few I haven't seen listed. Ship Breaker (I haven't yet read the sequel) the Uglies series Feed by M.T. Anderson Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler I saw Parable of the Sower and Talents listed in a previous thread like this and went and read them and they are REALLY good. I also recommend Shadow Children series by Margaret Haddix. Though those books are easier reads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocolate Rose Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 A few I haven't seen listed. Ship Breaker (I haven't yet read the sequel) the Uglies series Feed by M.T. Anderson Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler Feed is great, as well as the two others in the series - Deadline and Blackout. Also liked Never Let Me Go that someone else mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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